Learning to play a musical instrument can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. However, to develop proficiency in playing a musical instrument requires dedication, many hours of practice, and the application of proper playing techniques and methods.
Conventional learning tools and sources of instructional information for learning to play a musical instrument include music teachers, music books, audio tapes or compact disks (CDs), and video tapes. While each of these offers certain advantages, each is also limited in the quality of instruction or the manner in which the information is presented.
For example, a music teacher provides personally-tailored instruction, however the cost of the instruction is relatively expensive and each session is necessarily limited in both time and depth. Additionally, the student may be limited to learning the playing style and habits (both good and bad) of the particular teacher, which may limit the student's creativity and spontaneity. The practice material assigned by the instructor is also static and is therefore unable to accommodate and adjust to the student's individual progress or proficiency.
Music books provide a relatively low-cost alternative or adjunct to a music teacher. However, the material presented by music books is necessarily static and if the student has difficulty reading and interpreting music, particularly the tempo and rhythm, then music books provide a limited instructional capability. Additionally, music books are not interactive and provide no feedback to the student, making it difficult to develop a “feeling” for the music which is necessary to progress beyond purely technical or mechanical playing. Audio tapes or compact discs combine recorded songs and musical passages with instructional commentary and playing tips. But still, they lack visual instruction and feedback, which can make it difficult for the student to develop a feeling for the music.
What is needed is an effective way to provide interactive method and system for learning and practicing a musical instrument, which provides both audio and visual feedback, and an integrated learning approach.